Sebastian County Humane Society Seizes 65 Dogs In Waldron

“They were not malnourished at all,” said JoAnn Barton, Humane Society director. “That’s not the reason we took them. The filthy, unhealthy living conditions is why we took them.”

Barton said the dogs were kept in a small trailer, not much bigger than a camper trailer, each in small cages stacked on top of one other inside the trailer. The cages were filled with fecal matter, she said.

“It’s just too many animals in a small space,” she said. “The smell was awful. It was not a healthy situation.”

The woman who kept the kennel released the dogs into the custody of the Humane Society.

“We did not seek an arrest warrant for her because she released the animals to us,” Barton said. “If we went after a prosecution, this would have been tied up in courts for months. We did what was best for the animals.”

Waldron community members began contacting the Humane Society about the kennel last year, Barton said.

“I sent staff down there to evaluate the situation last September and wrote her a letter telling her what she needed to do (about the dogs),” she said. “I think she had 80 dogs last year.”

The woman had told people that many puppies had died from being suffocated by mother dogs that were being kept in small cages. The woman buried the deceased puppies on her property, according to Barton.

The dogs seized from the kennel include Standard Poodles, Golden Retrievers, Labradoodles, Goldendoodles and Schnauzers.

“She was breeding them to sell on the Internet,” Barton said.

The Humane Society will nurture the dogs until they are ready for adoption in about a month. Community members interested in adopting the dogs can check the Humane Society’s Facebook page to find out when the kennel dogs are ready for adoption.

Pet Smart’s charitable foundation provided the Humane Society $20,000 worth of supplies to care the animals seized from the Waldron kennel. However, monetary and dog food donations are still needed, according to Barton.